Bulls notes.

Raptors Drive Jackson To Distraction

November 09, 1995|By Terry Armour, Tribune Staff Writer.

Defense has become one of coach Phil Jackson's major concerns. After holding Charlotte (91 points) and Boston (85) under 100 in their first two games, the Bulls gave up 108 points to the Toronto Raptors Tuesday.

Jackson thought his team had too much trouble stopping the penetration of Toronto point guard Damon Stoudamire, who had 22 points and 10 assists.

"We worked on our defense, as far as closing the lanes," Jackson said after Wednesday's practice. "I thought (Stoudamire's) penetration off the dribble was a difficult part for us and then us reacting to the shots and rebounding. We were getting ourselves out of position a little bit and we couldn't close the lane. We had to work on that."

The Bulls did have a season-high 13 steals against the Raptors, led by Michael Jordan and Ron Harper with four apiece. But Jackson said that gambling for steals has its drawbacks.

"We have a tendency to be snipers on defense," he said. "You can have one guy or maybe two that play to steal the ball. Once you have more than that, you end up having gaps in your defense and someone's got to seal the lane."

Trouble with Cleveland: The Cavaliers, whom the Bulls face in Cleveland Thursday, gave the Bulls fits last season. The Cavs won the season series 3-2 and the Bulls didn't score 100 points in any of the games, with the Cavs beating the Bulls 77-63, 92-78 and 79-78. "They're a physical team," Jackson said. "They double team, rotate and play as close to the limits of the law, as far as the defense goes, as any team in the league."

Banged up: Jackson said because of the their minutes in Tuesday's game, he let the starters take it easy in practice--particularly Michael Jordan (40 minutes) and Dennis Rodman (41 minutes). Rodman had to leave practice early because of a strained left calf and a contusion in his stomach muscles. Both injuries happened against the Raptors.

The quote: Guard Steve Kerr on the influx of multicolored basketball courts in the NBA, particularly in Houston, Vancouver, Toronto and Atlanta: "They should rename the NBA the NCBA--the National Cheeseball Association."